dirt roads

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with travelling on dirt roads. Baja, or anywhere else. Does the bike handle well at reasonable speeds, are flat tires a major concern. I would like to drive hwy 5 in baja- however looks like theres a 40k section thats not paved. Not setting speed records- just like to know if this too hard on the driver and the bike.( not referring to sand roads- more hard pack gravel type.

I recently tried a local dirt county road on my swing. The tires gripped ok, no sliding at reasonable speed, but the suspension took a beating. While the road had a slight washboard ripple, it seemed to really jar the swing, and might cause fasteners to break or screws and bolts to jar loose.

In between riding scooters at a young age and riding scooters at an more advanced age I rode dirt bikes on gravel and desert roads in Central Australia for over 20 years. Alice Springs hosts the annual Finke Desert Race. That can be good fun on the right sort of bike, but the Silverwing is not suited or fun to ride on those roads. I am sure a determined rider can make some progress on such roads, but why would you? You would only punish yourself and the SW and pay for it dearly in terms of maintenance and repairs.

For short runs I wouldn't worry too much (couple of miles or so) but as stated above the suspension and small tires are not really designed for rough roads. Plus the weight of the beast enters into the equation as well. 550 pounds of scooter with small wheels and a CVT can make things dicey.

That said I did take mine on a crappy road out to Bodie, CA. Paved road goes within 3 miles of the ghost town but the last 3 miles are unpaved, rough and lots of rocks etc. Freaked me out but I just went slow and watched the road carefully and all was well. Would not want to make a habit of it however... LOL

If I find a dirt road it usually by accident on one of our long rides(Kentucky etc)and the scooter is loaded to the max. I would call some of these roads more of a trail and are no fun. I actually lost a tank bag I had bunged to the rear seat with about $300.00 worth of gear. Never again. Howard

Thx-i wiil avoid them ( the baja hwy 5 detour would have taken me places i havent seen before- the 40k ride on gravel would probably be a nightmare-i was thinking that even if it took me 2 days- it might be worth it) Id cause too much undo hardship to my bike and psyche tho. No dirt roads. Also, its not the kind of place to risk a breakdown. I see the light.

I've rode my SWs and now my BMW GT scooter on local BLM and Forest service roads which aren't paved. One has to keep a close eye on the pot holes on some roads which are more like trails. Those wheels are a bit small on the really rough roads. By rough I mean they jolt one around quite a bit even in my big tired Jeep Wrangler.

Both scooters handle well on dirt roads and well packed gravel roads. I keep it a bit slow to keep dust down and for a easier, safer ride. I'll go a bit faster in the Jeep or on a dirt bike. But overall the scooter does a good job, the ABS is real nice on those roads, especially downhill gravel tracks. Makes it a lot more comfortable and less worrying.